This invention relates generally to the field of audio record and playback devices (cassette players and tapes, compact disc players and CDs, etc.), and more particularly to the such devices which incorporate digitally stored audio data on a stationary or removable memory device such as a computer disk drive or flash card which is converted into an audio output. Even more particularly, the invention relates to such devices where the data storage and output device is portable and provided with means to receive and store data from a computer server capable of high speed delivery of audio programming in the form of time-compressed, encrypted and encoded data.
Radio has been available for many years, and provides the consumer with a selection of audio programming directed at different tastes. The radio signal is locally broadcast and thus limited in range to the power of the transmitter and the quality of the receiver. The consumer is at the mercy of the radio programmer, in that the material transmitted is chosen by the radio station, and the only option available to the consumer is to change stations. Certain musical or informational formats may not even be available in a given locale. Because of these limitations, cassette players and compact disc (CD) players have become very popular. The cassette or CD players give the listener control of the format--the listener can play whatever prerecorded cassette or CD he or she desires at any time. The downside to these devices is that the consumer must individually purchase the cassettes or CDs (buying new CDs or cassettes when new artists arise or new work is produced by familiar artists), the cassettes or CDs have limited storage capacity, the user must transport a large number of cassettes or CDs to provide a range of choices or preselect certain CDs or cassettes based on the listener's mood when a portable player is utilized (either a personal device carried by the listener or a player in a car), and the listener is stuck with cassettes or CDs which he or she no longer desires to listen to, or which turn out to be not as good as originally anticipated prior to purchase.
It is an object of this invention to provide an audio player device and system which is capable of storing a relatively large amount of audio programming, whether music or voice, in a digital data format with relatively instant access to any piece of stored data for playback, where the stored data may be replaced with new data when the listening desires of the consumer change. It is a further object to provide such a device and system where the transfer of data to the audio player device is accomplished through alternative communication means in a time-compressed manner with a computer server having a substantially greater storage capacity than the audio player device, such that the consumer can choose from a vast array of data encompassing all formats of musical and voice programming. It is a further object to provide such a device and system where the data stored in the computer server is received via wireless transmission.